Ocean Discovery Starts Here.
We are closed for the 2024 Season.
Our facility is one room with tanks of various sizes, including a touch tank, plus interactive exhibits. We also have presentations and art projects to enjoy on our porch overlooking Boothbay Harbor.
Discover the Gulf of Maine at the Maine State Aquarium. The Gulf covers 36,000 square miles of ocean with 7,500 miles of coastline. Here water from 60 rivers meets the Atlantic Ocean. Shallow waters mix with nutrient-rich deep ocean waters. This creates a dynamic ecosystem home to over 3,000 species. The Gulf is also a source of food, tourism, and livelihood for millions of Mainers.
The Aquarium is a Department of Marine Resources facility. DMR protects, conserves, studies, and manages the Gulf of Maine's resources. We partner with researchers and marine businesses, using science to manage and conserve this dynamic and unique ecosystem.
When you visit, you will meet plants and animals that live in the Gulf of Maine. Our interactive exhibits will introduce you to the DMR scientists who study the Gulf, and the communities and industries who depend on it.
Our address is 194 McKown Point Road, West Boothbay Harbor. Contact us at aquarium@maine.gov and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @mainestateaquarium
Our Aquarium is one room approximately 1800 square feet. The remainder of the property is lab and office space for DMR's Bureau of Marine Science, and not open to the public.
Parking is available but is very limited. Handicap parking is available. There is no dock space available to visit by boat.
Mornings are busier than afternoons. This is based on weather conditions (we are very busy when it rains), whether groups are visiting, and if it is a holiday. When the space reaches maximum occupancy, we close the doors for 10-15 minutes until it clears out some.
Groups of 15 or more people must make reservations in advance. Discounts are available. Please contact us at aquarium@maine.gov to schedule a visit.
No advance or online tickets available.
The Touch Tank closes the last 15 minutes of every hour. It is still available for viewing then. This is so the animals can rest and we can keep the water as clean as possible. During this time, an Aquarium Aide offers a lobster talk with one of our uniquely colored lobsters.
Want to volunteer? Contact us at aquarium@maine.gov for an application
We continue to add new animals and interactive content this summer, and so are still a work in progress as a facility.
The Maine State Aquarium is a Department of Marine Resources facility, and part of the Education Division's Gulf of Maine Discovery Center.
NOTE: We are in the process of setting up our sales system, and are not currently charging admission, selling membership passes, accepting donations, or selling merchandise. This is subject to change. In the future, these are our admission fees and membership categories:
Aquariums for All Program: Those eligible for SNAP/EBT, WIC, Medicaid, MaineCare programs, or otherwise unable to meet the price of admission may visit at no cost through our Aquariums for All program.
Look Up!
Be sure to see the 26 foot minke whale skeleton that hangs from the ceiling. There are also two life-size Harbor Porpoise at the Front Entrance. Minke Whales and Harbor Porpoise are two of the most common marine mammals you will see in the Gulf of Maine.
